Event Safety Insights Issue One | Fall 2016 | Page 44

motor capacities, positions, or quantity to hit the road safely, but it is just as much about due diligence. With the technology now available to give you accurate weights for every point on the show, calculations are not the best way anymore.” VIEW FROM THE DECK Over their four year history, the company has highlighted a number of issues that have been rectified before the first show. What made you choose to use the service in the first place? I had been very worried with the number of accidents happening with outdoor roofs in particular over the past few years, and I was looking for a way to ensure we do not overload anything. I then found out about Load Cell Rental, and I decided to enquire how it all worked and how it was presented. I had a USA Tour pending with Def Leppard, and they play very large venues in the USA and Canada, so I knew I would have a mixture of Amphitheatre Arena and State Fair type shows. I felt I really needed to be in a position to send a complete package to the Promoters, so there were no grey areas, as to the weight and the distribution of the weight on any roof. “It’s not always the case that rigs are heavier. We have seen tours reduce their motor count by 10 motors for the entire tour due to knowing actual weights, tours with set pieces which have been twice the calculated weight due to inaccurate raw material weights compromising the accuracy of the calculations,” explained Luke. The process of generating a report is simple. Load Cell Rental technicians work alongside the production team to install a load cell on every point to be included in the report, either during rehearsals or at the first show. Once the truss loadings have been finalized a report will be completed. Each certificate will note the plot reference from the rigging plot, the cell that has been used to obtain the reading to verify serviceability, and the recorded weight from the cell. Depending on where the cell is positioned an allowance will be made for motor, rigging above the motor, and a total for plot weight recorded. The service is not aimed at questioning anyone’s ability or accuracy; it is meant to provide a comprehensive independent insurance backed report of the rig weights, and evidence of due diligence. Load Cell Rental now has bases in California, Pennsylvania, and Shropshire, England, and boasts a stock of 196 twoton Motion Labs cells, 24 five-ton Motion Labs cells and 94 Broadweigh V3 wireless cells. For more information on Load Cell Rentals equipment and services, visit http://loadcellrental.com 44 To learn more about Load Cell Rental from a client perspective, ESI spoke with Production Manager Phay MacMahon about his experience with the service What are the main advantages as you see then of using the LCR weigh report service? I feel that having a document that you can hand to a Promoter, Engineer, Stage company etc, that has the actual weights verified by weighing each point with a load cell is a massive help to all of them. By documenting everything in this way there is no argument about what you need to hang, and if the Roof is not capable of holding this weight, then they are forced to come and discuss it with you and come to a solution. I feel by putting pressure on the roof supplier or venue, you are pushing them to be truthful with you, and therefore opening dialogue to ensure you do not over load anything. Why not just rely on estimated weights like we always have done? Estimated weights are exactly that! If in the event of an accident and a follow up court appearance to review what actually happened, a Judge will look for clarification in every department, to ensure that everything possible has been done to prevent such an accident. An estimate will not work in his or her eyes as it is merely an estimate. They will look every time to see that everyone has done their due diligence to make sure that everything is safe. By using Load Cells, you will get an accurate read out of every point, and therefore a true weight for what is actually hanging.